Post by BrokenSword on Jan 1, 2009 21:55:57 GMT -5

Actor Lawrence P. Barrett was born in Patterson, New Jersey on April 4, 1838. He first appeared in "The French Spy,” in 1853 in Detroit, Michigan. During the following year, Barrett was engaged in minor roles, and supported himself as a part-time bell-hop, and appeared on stage, for a short time, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After this he acted in various productions in St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois and other locations, until December of 1856, when he acted at the Chamber Street Theater in New York City.

The following two years saw his time divided between performances in New York and Boston where he took supporting roles to several famous actors of the day, including, among others, Edwin Booth and Charlotte Cushman.

1861 saw the outbreak of Civil War in the USA, and Barrett received and accepted a commission, as the 1st Captain of Company B, 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment of Infantry (the Irish Brigade), served with distinction, resigned his commission and was mustered out on August 8, 1862.

The 24-year old Barrett then returned to the theater, appearing in Philadelphia, Washington, DC and New York where he preformed at the Winter Garden, along with Edwin Booth, in productions of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” and “Othello. It was during this period that Barrett met famed performer of tragedies - Edwin Forrest, whose biography Barrett would later pen.

Barrett moved into theater management in 1864, purchased and produced a Lester Wallack play. He preformed at a San Francisco opera house to favorable reviews in 1867, and soon after became the manager of the competing California Theater.

July 1871 saw Barrett appear in several comic roles, at the California, with Lydia Thompson’s burlesque troupe, in which he fit like a regular member. Lydia Thompson and Lawrence Barrett had been a part of George Custer’s inner social circle and their pairing on stage worked quite well, due to common interests and complementary acting abilities.

By 1872, Barrett was in New Orleans, Louisiana, managing the New Varieties Theater when Grand Duke Alexis of Russia arrived on February 12th, with his huge entourage in tow, that included his Russian suite, General George A. Custer and wife Elizabeth, General Sheridan and other army brass, as well as a large group of 'society' women who were in pursuit of the Duke's attention. They had arrived by riverboat (the James Howard) down the Mississippi River from Memphis with a brief stop at Vicksburg. Lydia Thompson and her burlesque troupe were making the same journey at the same time, having just completed a week of performances in Memphis.

From the Diary of Elizabeth Custer - “Feb. 5, 1872 - Took charge of Miss Nina Sturgis and Miss Duncan, starting for Memphis.” [They had briefly been in Louisville, Kentucky] “Nina Sturgis - 19 yrs old during this trip.

“At the Overton Hotel took dinner in the Grand Ducal Suite. No ceremony observed except that the Grand Duke goes in to table first with whichever lady he selects, and leaves first. As he changes the lady every night, we have the pleasant opportunity of becoming acquainted with all.

“We are becoming so Russian in our habits as to take rolls and coffee when we rise. The meal begins with eggs on toast, and ends, as at dinner, with coffee. They like Rhine wine, sherry, claret. It is a real pleasure to sit next them, for, should American gentlemen take the amount of wine they do, the lady would be forced to listen to the idiotic mumbled sillinesses a man, politely tight, inflicts on her. The cold climate of their country enables these Russians to drink what seems to us a vast quantity without effect on them.

“Admiral Poisset and Mr. Machin are ranking, managing members of the Grand Ducal party. Mr. Machin is a highly cultivated Englishman who has had charge of the education of all the sons of the Tsar. He has keen merry brown eyes, that nothing escapes. He has noted many of our peculiar provincialisms. I am surprised we have so many.

“The Admiral is all sunshine and sweet simplicity. He strives to interest Alexis in the towns we pass, length of rivers, and the like. But in boat or on the train Alexis is not concerned with the outside, only with the pretty girls, with music - he sings magnificently, and has already learned Lydia Thompson's burlesque ditty - which he renders "If ever I cease to luf..." - in his eternal cigarette, and in joking with his suite and with the General."

The entire party arrived in New Orleans the day before Mardi Gras. Lydia Thompson was to open a few days after Mardi Gras at the Academy of Music with her burlesque "Blue Beard," and Barrett joined the entourage of the Grand Duke, reuniting with his old acquaintance General George Custer. Barrett provided the ‘Rex’ costume for Lewis Solomon - Mardi Gras’s first ‘King’ - and along with Custer, was involved in every sportive event of the Grand Duke’s visit to that city.

The Grand Duke's river boat docked at the foot of Lafayette Street. From there, the Grand Duke traveled by carriage through the streets of downtown to the St. Charles Hotel. At that time, the St. Charles was perhaps the grandest in New Orleans, and certainly one of the most luxurious in the world. It also served as the focal point for many of the city’s social elite, and its magnificent lobby was continually crowded with costumed revelers during Mardi Gras celebrations.

It was at the St. Charles Hotel where the Custers, and the entire military entourage that accompanied the Grand Duke, checked in - it was also where actress Lotta Crabtree and her mother were staying. In January 1872, Lotta Crabtree opened a run at the St. Charles Theater in New Orleans, appearing in "Little Nell" and "The Little Detective." Lotta was a favorite in New Orleans and she was playing to packed houses.

Elizabeth Custer refers, in her diary,written in Memphis shortly before the trip to New Orleans, to the Grand Duke singing the song - "If Ever I Cease To Love" - which became the theme song of Mardi Gras.

Bands in that first Rex parade (Feb. 13, 1872) serenaded Grand Duke Alexis with the Russian national anthem as they marched past City Hall. When Rex, having dismounted at the Henry Clay statue on Canal Street, reviewed the parade, the bands played "If Ever I Cease To Love." (Today, this song is played when Rex enters his Grand Ball and after the meeting of the Rex and Comus courts Mardi Gras night, signaling the end of the Mardi Gras celebration.)

After the events of Mardi Gras on Tuesday, Feb. 13th, 1872, the Grand Duke and his suite attended a massive party thrown at New Orleans City Hall, then, with the Custers, and other members of his suite, he went theater hopping.

First stop was the Varieties Theater run by Lawrence Barrett. Barrett was one of Custer's best friends and also had worked with Lydia Thompson in San Francisco two years before. The entire group went to The Academy of Music for a post-performance party with Lydia and her burlesque troupe. At this party, Lydia sang the Grand Duke's new favorite song "If Ever I Cease To Love" - but the lyrics were slightly altered to poke fun at the Grand Duke and his recent Buffalo hunting with Custer:

"May the Grand Duke Alexis ride a buffalo in Texas, if ever I cease to love."

With the conclusion of some sprightly pursuits with the burlesque ladies, the Grand ducal suite proceeded to an after-show party at the St. Charles Theater, where Lotta Crabtree was performing.

The Grand Duke decided to see Lotta's complete performance the next day (Valentine Day, 1872). Alexis may not have understood much of the play, but Lotta totally captivated him. The Grand Duke was twenty-two years of age, handsome, unmarried, and had an eye for the ladies, and they were strongly attracted to him, some of them had pursued him all the way from Kansas. His aides had been fending off a throng of New Orleans society belles who wanted to meet him, but now, the Grand Duke let it be known that he desired an introduction to Lotta.

Lotta was, quite naturally, flattered by the royal attention, but their meeting in one of the private lounges at the hotel was quite awkward. The Duke was over six feet tall, and Lotta barely five; when she curtsied, Alexis responded by kissing her hand, and he was almost forced to his knees. He insisted that Lotta must visit his "ship," the James Howard. At an on-board banquet in her honor, the Grand Duke permitted each of his officers to take turns sitting at Lotta's side. Lotta's mother, Mary Ann Crabtree was there carefully observing all - as the chaperon.

One week later, Lotta was performing in Memphis, when a telegram arrived from the Grand Duke. Alexis had arranged for a bracelet to be sent to her in Memphis. An amazing arrangement of diamonds, pearls and opals arrived a week later, just in time for Lotta's farewell performance. The bracelet was very similar to the one the Grand Duke had presented to Lydia Thompson one month earlier in St. Louis.

Lotta's biographers claim that she never wore the bracelet out in public; but did wear it on stage when needed as a part of her costume.

On the last scheduled night of the Grand Duke’s US tour, before he was to embark for Cuba, Barrett accompanied the party to New Orleans’ newly constructed Jockey Club. The club was closed to members of the press, and the farewell celebration went on all through the night. Day-after hangovers were so wide spread among the ducal suite's members, that departure from New Orleans was delayed for three days. So much for Libbie Custer's theory of cold climate conditioning bestowing immunity to alcohol's effects on Russians. "Under the weather" was how the local press termed the reason for the delay.

While the Mardi Gras festivities were winding down, Custer was attempting to convince Barrett to come north with him and re-enlist in the Army. In the cavalry - of course. Barrett was torn as to whether or not he should do so, but declined as he had invested heavily in the New Varieties Theater, and was scheduled to open in ‘Hamlet” on March 4th, - in the lead role of Prince Hamlet.

Barrett, deplored the fact that Custer would leave for so far away, and felt that the Army should make better use of him than as “a mule inspector.” He wished he himself might "...escape the servitude of the starched horror of a hotel-table" for “...the free life of a cavalryman,” apparently forgetting that soldiers lead lives that are far from free.

So ended the Grand Duke Alexis’ tour of the United States, and the 1872 Mardi Gras celebrations for George Custer and his friends Lawrence Barrett and Lydia Thompson.

After George Custer's death in 1876, Lawrence Barrett wrote this remembrance of his fallen friend:

“It was my happiness to have known intimately, and to have enjoyed for many years the society of General Custer, and it may, therefore, be allowed me to record my impressions of him as divested of the pomp of war, and mingling in the pursuits of social life.

“These remembrances should be accepted simply as a tribute of affection to a dearly beloved friend. At my fireside we came together in friendly meeting and cemented in private the attachment which sympathy of character always creates.

“In the Fall of 1866, while fulfilling an engagement at St. Louis, I met the General for the first time under peculiar circumstances. The play was over, the curtain fallen, and while still preparing to return to my hotel after my night's entertainment, a knock was heard at my dressing-room door.

“Obedient to the answering summons, entered a tall, fair haired, blue-eyed, smiling gentleman, clad in military undress. Apologizing for the intrusion, he gave his name as General Custer; he had been sent to bring me to the hotel where he was temporarily residing, while en route to his command at Ft. Leavenworth. I was to go with him to meet Mrs. Custer and other members of his party. Excuses were set aside. He pleaded "orders" [Barrett had been a Captain during the Civil War]. Ironically, the Mass 28th was present

“A happy hour in his society was passed; and thus began an acquaintance, ripening within the next ten years into the most genuine friendship, in which I learned to esteem the qualities of the man as sincerely as I had admired the achievements of the soldier.

“We were together during the tour of the Grand Duke Alexis, in whose suite he had been placed by the government. Here his truly American characteristics gained him a friend [the Grand Duke], whose quick eye discerned the depths of that genuine nature and valued it. The friendship which arose between theRussian Grand Duke and General Custer, from their association on this tour, was very honorable to both.”

In one of her letters, Libbie Custer recounted the first meeting in St. Louis, between Lawrence Barrett and the Custer's:

“We heard the distinguished Lawrence Barrett in "Rosedale" and after the play became acquainted with him at the hotel. He is an elegant gentleman, and do you know he actually began life as a bell boy at the Russell House in Detroit?”

Post by biggordie on Jan 2, 2009 11:36:46 GMT -5

Michael:

Wonderful stuff, as Elisabeth might say [forgive me, E]; but you're not gonna suck me into your evil web [is that a mixed thingamajig?] - I got enough on my plate, well, not on my plate perzackly but you know what I mean.

I will say, however, that there are some neat photos of Barrett on the web, and he bears a sortof resemblance to Old Artie, particularly in the hairline. The "Cassius" photo especially - the two of them could have been brothers [imagine a Custer 'stache on Barrett]. And also a nice tribute to him, after his death in 1891, by groups of fellow actors [the beginnings of ACTRA and SAG?].

There is a reference in the tribute to his latest endeavor being the Booth-Barrett company, and Edwin Booth is noted as being in the funeral party, so perhaps they were performing together.

Barrett was, from the photos seen, a handsome devil, and, from the tributes, apparently well-loved and respected within his profession - as TCM would no doubt say "damn fine actor."

Those ladies who thrill at the drop of Keogh's name, and swoon at his likeness, are warned away from looking at Barrett's photographs - you are only allowed a certain number of swoons in your lifetimes, and you might not have any left over for Miles after staring into the eyes of Old Larry [and dreaming of running your fingers through those curls].

Gordie

Take a whiff on me, that ain't no rose. Roll up your window and hold your nose. You don't have to look, and you don't have to see, 'cause you can feel it in your olfactory. Well, you got yer dead cat, and you got yer dead dog - on a moonlit night, you got yer dead toad-frog. Got yer dead rabbit, and yer dead raccoon - the blood and the guts are gonna make you swoon. You got yer dead skunk,,,,,,,,,

Post by BrokenSword on Jan 2, 2009 14:21:31 GMT -5

Gordie,

You complete and total scoundrel. I found no photos of Mr. Barrett anywhere, and frankly found next to nothing about him on the Net.

I got sucked into the story of his involvement with Custer through two side doors, as it were. I was looking for info on the Grand Duke’s tour and stumbled into the Mardi Gras debaucheries. While looking for something entirely unrelated on the ‘Soldiers and Sailors’ Park Service site, I hit on the name Lawrence P. Barrett and thought it familiar somehow. With a little cross checking, I learned that the actor and the soldier were one and the same.

I found scattered bits of info about Alexi, Barrett, Mardi Gras and its theme song (and disputed origins), as well as Lydia Thompson, then simply cobbled it together to post here for anyone that finds it interesting.

Some of that post is original writing, some is personal research, some is borderline plagiarism, and some is the result of out-right theft. So… Thank you, but credit me with nothing other than sweeping it together to put here for other people‘s use or amusement.

I am however, now off on a short exploration of Lydia Thompson’s life, career and her involvement with The Golden One. Don’t get excited, as I’m coming to the conclusion that nothing juicy went on between them, or any of the other men of fame, she was so ‘scandalously' involved with. Lydia was a character for a certainty, and was definitely promoting a picture of herself which had very little basis in fact, but which packed them in to see her shows. I think I’m in love.

AND -- whether you realize it or not, Lydia’s daughter (born in 1863) was in a number of moving pictures, many of which you’ve seen. I don’t know (and rather doubt) that her daughter actually met General Custer or Libbie, but the intertwining lives of so many of these people fascinate me to no end.

Post by biggordie on Jan 2, 2009 17:58:21 GMT -5

Michael:

Ya gotsta Google Lawrence P. Barrett [OAP].

Gordie

Take a whiff on me, that ain't no rose. Roll up your window and hold your nose. You don't have to look, and you don't have to see, 'cause you can feel it in your olfactory. Well, you got yer dead cat, and you got yer dead dog - on a moonlit night, you got yer dead toad-frog. Got yer dead rabbit, and yer dead raccoon - the blood and the guts are gonna make you swoon. You got yer dead skunk,,,,,,,,,